I'm not the biggest fan of Progressive Metal but I know good METAL when I hear it and Witherfall's Nocturnes and Requiems falls squarely in the "good" category. These guys aren't into showing off or writing the most complex melody lines possible though they are clearly adept at their craft. Rather, they have taken the Queensryche approach of writing and playing good songs and dressing them up with extra musical flourishes that enhance rather than overshadow the compositions. For a debut, Nocturnes and Requiems is a very mature and accomplished effort that succeeds at never being boring. There's emotion in the vocal delivery and it never gets lost in the music. Speed and power mix with introspection and reserve culminating in album showpiece "Nobody Sleeps Here...", 8+ minutes of musical excellence. Witherfall haven't come up with their "Pull Me Under" or "Suite Sister Mary" yet but they came out swinging and the sky's the limit.